Call them what you want – latkes, vegetables pancakes, fried-deliciousness. They’re traditionally made with potatoes, a food some of us Primals feel better avoiding. The tuber’s low-moisture and high-starch content creates a crispy exterior and fluffy interior when fried in oil. The high starch content, unfortunately, is also the reason the insulin resistant among us are better off turning to less starchy vegetables to satisfy latke cravings.

Although latkes made with vegetables like carrot, turnip, daikon radish and zucchini will never be quite as crispy as potato latkes, they’re darn good in their own right. The flavor of each vegetable is mild enough that you’ll still feel like you’re eating a latke, yet the latke is transformed into something new and interesting. Zucchini latkes are mildest of all, the carrot and turnip are slightly sweet, and the daikon version has just a hint of spiciness.

Notes: These latkes will work with many combinations of vegetables, especially root vegetables. To make the dish lower carb, you can swap out the sweet potato or carrot with turnips or rutabaga. Use multiple paper towels or a good hand towel to ring out moisture from the shredded vegetables, especially vegetables like daikon and zucchini. This will keep your latke batter from turning watery. To make the shredded vegetables either use the large holes on a box grater or food processor with a large grate attachment.

Preheat your oven to 400 ºFahrenheit. Place a seasoned cast iron skillet in the oven to heat.

Use a towel to squeeze out the shredded vegetables. In a large bowl, combine the shredded vegetables, collagen, almond flour, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Crack the egg and mix it into the vegetable mixture. Allow the mixture to rest for 1 minute.

Place the skillet over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once hot, add a scoop of the vegetable mixture to the skillet and gently flatten and shape it so it’s a slightly flattened patty. Repeat 2-3 more times so the skillet has 3-4 patties. Allow the latkes to fry for 1-2 minutes on each side.

Gently use a spatula to remove the latkes and place them on a parchment-covered sheet pan. Add the remaining oil and allow it to heat before repeating the above steps with the remaining vegetable mixture.

Place the sheet pan with the latkes on it in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Allow them to cool before removing them from the pan. Enjoy on their own or with your favorite sauce. We like combining Primal Kitchen Garlic Aioli Mayo with chopped parsley and lemon, but they are also great with a sour cream or yogurt-based dip.

If you’re looking for a quick keto-friendly lunch, look no further. In less than ten minutes, you can throw together these tuna wraps using one of our favorite greens for all your wrap needs—collard green leaves. A bit of Primal-friendly mayo, some veggies, and a bit of fresh lemon juice give plenty of creamy flavor to this easy (and economical) meal you can grab and go with.

Check it out….

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Collard Green Tuna Wraps

Servings: 12 wraps

Time In the Kitchen: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 collard leaves

1 tin of tuna

2 Tbsp. Primal Kitchen Mayo (your favorite flavor)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 squeezes fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup cucumber (cut into matchstick shape)

1/4 cup shredded carrots

1/8 cup radish (cut into matchstick shape)

1/4 avocado (in slices)

Instructions:

Wash and dry collard leaves. Use a paring knife to cut the stems.

In a small bowl, combine tuna with mayo, salt and pepper, and lemon juice. Mix well.

Place collard leaves on a flat surface (1 large leaf per wrap). Top each leaf with tuna mixture and veggies, placing all ingredients on one end of the leaf.

Wrap up it up like you would a burrito—fold the leaf over top of the mixture and keep rolling, tucking both sides in as you roll. Cut the wrap in half. (You can use a toothpick to secure if desired.) Repeat the process with the other wrap. Enjoy!

Busy summer days call for easy, healthy snacks and add-ins — you know, healthy goodies that are easy to grab when you’ve got one foot out the door, or toss into yogurt or a salad when you want a little extra nutrition but don’t have the time to do a bunch of chopping. Happily, I’ve had a few tasty options cross my desk in recent weeks, so although I can’t actually share my snacks, I can share the deets on the treats I’ve been noshing on. Barùkas: Supernuts of the Savannah Want a snack that’s not just good for you,…

Welcome to summer, everyone. (I think most people agree it starts after Memorial Day, right?) One of the things I’ve always loved about summer is cold brew coffee. As most of you know, I’ll take coffee anytime year round, but cold brew is its own animal and worth appreciating as such. That said, cold brew needs to be done right to achieve the smoothness and sweetness its known for. Here’s how I create my own cold brew.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup medium-coarse ground coffee

2 cups filtered water

Optional: 4 Tbsp. Oat Milk (Thrive Market has a clean and tasty version for those who want to add a splash or two to the final result. Feel free to use regular dairy or another non-dairy milk.)

(You’ll also want a couple medium mason jars with lids.)

Instructions:

Grind 3/4 cup of whole bean coffee to a medium-coarse consistency as pictured to make about 2/3 cup ground coffee. (I wouldn’t advise the pre-ground coffee you find in the store, since you’ll have a heck of a time trying to drain it. The result? Coffee that’s likely too strong and muddy instead of smooth.)

Divide the ground coffee between two medium mason jars. Pour room temperature filtered water over the coffee—one cup of water per jar. Screw the lids on tight, and let infuse at room temperature for 12 hours. This is where the magic happens. You could go a little shorter (e.g. 10 hours) if you need it sooner, but I’d be cautious about exceeding 12 hours as I’ve found a lot of coffee gets bitter pretty quickly past that point. Start with 12 hours and experiment from there if you want a more concentrated brew. Some people like to put the jars in the refrigerator for added chilling. This works, but the infusing process will be a little slower.

After 12 hours, open each jar. Filter through a clean dish towel or cheesecloth. I know some folks use a very fine sieve or paper coffee filters for this step. Others like to double filter.

Check for concentration and dilute (to your own personal taste) with cold, filtered water, diluting less if you’re going to add milk or cream or if you’re going to use ice.

Put a few ice cubes in the bottom of two glasses, pour coffee over them. Add milk or cream if that’s your thing.

Store any extra filtered coffee in a clean mason jar in the refrigerator, and use within a few days for freshness.

Thanks for stopping by, everybody. Do you have a recipe you’d like to see the team or I cover? Share your ideas below. Have a great week.

Lindsay and I are back today with another video in our new Primal + Keto Made Easy Cooking Series. (Check out past videos here. There will be many more to come over the next several weeks.)

This week we’ve got another great Primal + keto snack, and this time it’s a sweet treat anybody (Primal or not) will gravitate to. I’m cooking with two of my personal favorites: dark chocolate and macadamia nuts. Fair warning: be sure to make a good size batch.

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Macadamia Nut Clusters/Bark Recipe

Simmer a pot of water. Place a glass bowl on top of the pot, with the bottom of the bowl a few inches above the simmering water. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt them in the glass bowl, stirring with a spatula. Add macadamia nuts into the bowl of melted chocolate, and stir until everything is covered in chocolate.

Last week I launched the beginning of my Primal + Keto Cooking Series. (Check it out here if you missed it.) Today I’m back with Lindsay Taylor for another great Primal + keto snack that will take you less than a minute to prepare and less than ten to cook.

One of the things people seem to miss the most when they give up grains is crackers—cheese and crackers especially…. But what if the cheese could be the cracker? (Mind blown, right?) You can pay a premium for ready-made versions in the store, or you can spend less than ten at home making your own for a small fraction of the cost. Just see how easy is it.

Cheese Crisp Recipe

Servings: 6 crisps

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 7-10 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 ºF/205 ºC.

Line a metal baking sheet with parchment paper.

Finely shred a cup’s worth of cheddar cheese (or use bagged finely shredded cheese). We’re using cheddar here, but this recipe works for other hard cheeses such as Parmesan, colby-jack, etc. Note: finely shredded cheese will melt more quickly and evenly.

Take a generous pinch of shredded cheese and spread out in an individual circle on the sheet. Gently press down. Repeat until parchment sheet is full, leaving a couple inches between cheese circles.

Heat in oven for 7-10 minutes. Take out and let cool at least 5 minutes.

Serve with your favorite salsa, guacamole, sliced meats or sauces.

Thanks for stopping in, everybody. Be sure to check back next Monday for more Primal +Keto Cooking Made Easy. Have an awesome week!

You know those times when you just want a little something to snack on? Like, you don’t need an entire protein bar, but you want a few bites of something tasty and satisfying? I have a lot of those times — before I go to the grocery store, when I’m beginning to prep a meal that’s going to take a while, when I’m back from a workout and I’m not quite ready to eat anything substantial … the list goes on. And guys, I may have found my perfect snack. Perfect Bites, the newest offering from the makers of the…

Links of the week

Are ‘Natural Flavors’ Really Natural? – Personally I can taste the phoniness of these “natural flavors” from a mile away. Once your palate is acclimated to the flavors of Real Food, it’s nearly impossible to go back. Yuck. (NY Times)

Looking to choose a healthy post-workout snack? Decide early, study says – THIS. And I believe the best time to decide is as soon as you realized your last effort didn’t turn out as you hoped. Overeat at your lunch meeting? Decide now to have a more satisfying breakfast before work. Skip your morning workout because you were too tired? Decide now to go to sleep half hour earlier to see if it helps. (ScienceDaily)